Marco Polo

Marco Polo

Many years ago, as I floated down one of Venice's canals on a gondola, I noticed a plaque high up on the wall of a home that marked the home of Marco Polo.



I'll never forget that moment. Having grown up in Canada, it amazed me to see homes centuries old still in existence, still lived in.



Ever since, I've been fascinated with learning more about this interesting man who become one of the most famous personages in Italian History. Marco Polo travelled the Silk Road and broke bread with Kublai Khan of the Mongol Empire.

Marco Polo was born in 1254. The Polo family were of the nobility from Dalamatia. It is uncertain whether Marco Polo was born there or in Venice in 1254. At the time, Venice was a famous center for commerce in the Mediterranean. As a son of an affluent family, Marco learned to read and write, studied the classical authors, and read the Bible. He spoke French, Latin, and Italian. He had a zest for knowledge as is evidenced by his enthusiasm in writing about new resources, people, and lands he later discovered as a result of his travels.

When Marco Polo was 6 years old, his father and uncle took him with them as they set out eastward on their first trip to Cathay (China). He was 15 years old when he returned. Upon his arrival back in Venice, he learned his mother had passed away. He remained in Venice with his father and uncle for two more years and then they embarked once again to Cathay.

He wrote about his travels in a book he entitled Il Millione (The Million, or The Travels of Marco Polo). He documented his experiences and the sights he visited. He remarked upon the differences between Europe and Asia. More importantly, he brought new and different spices to Italy from the Orient. Marco Polo died in 1324.